July 2010

From the Mojito to the Luxury Mojito to the Old Cuban (recipe) to the New Cuban and other new drinks: My latest piece for Tasting Table San Francisco traces the evolution of cocktails with the trio of lime, mint, and champagne. There's even a recipe for The Whaler from Brooke Arthur of Prospect. And here's the recipe for The Ginger's Trois by Erick Castro of Rickhouse- easy and refreshing! Ginger’s Trois by Erick Castro of Rickhouse 1.5oz Plymouth Gin .75oz Lime Juice .75oz Simple Syrup .5oz Ginger Solution (equal parts ginger puree, sugar, and hot water) 6-8 Mint leaves 1...
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With all the new bitter products on the market I was getting a little confused as to what's what, so I've made this cheat sheet for myself. Cocchi Americano: Quinquina, flavored with quinine; a Kina Lillet substitute Gran Classico: A "Bitters of Turin" with wormwood and gentian; a Campari substitute Calisaya: A brand of high-quinine elixir that was once a generic name for the category of quinquinas. According to CocktailDB: "Generic Spanish/Italian spirit-based beverage/digestive bitters of calisaya bark (quinine), herbs, and spices. Ferro China and china-Martini bitters are other forms of this product. Calisay is a liqueur which utilizes the...
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Marcia Gagliardi is known as the Tablehopper, a woman who eats her way through San Francisco restaurants and reports on the happenings in her weekly newsletter. I know her as a girl who loves her bourbon. She wrote a book called The Tablehopper's Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion . I decided to interview her about the book and skip all the blah blah blah about food. Camper English: I love the book. I was skeptical about any book of restaurant information because it all changes so fast, but I realized...
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Oh hey, my latest story for Fine Cooking magazine is online already. Tiki Time Showstopping tiki drinks are back on the menu, and they’re causing quite a stir. Here’s how to create these tasty cocktails at home—don’t forget the swizzle sticks and umbrellas. by Camper English Sipping from opposite sides of a cocktail served in a hollowed-out pineapple, a young couple poses for a photo by a waterfall. This isn’t a scene from a Hawaiian vacation in the 1960s, but one I observed earlier this year at Smuggler’s Cove, a buzzing new San Francisco bar. This establishment, and the many...
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I decided to create a drink to honor the best video of the weekend, "Yosemitebear Mountain Giant Double Rainbow 1-8-10". (Scroll down to see it if you haven't already.) It's guaranteed to make you say, "DOUBLE COMPLETE RAINBOW! What does this MEAN?" The Double Rainbow by Camper English 1 ounce vodka 1 ounce St. Germain elderflower liqueur 4 or so ounces of soda water 4 dashes of grapefruit bitters (Fee Brothers brand) lemon peel for garnish rainbow ice cubes Make rainbow ice by adding food coloring to an ice cube tray, filling with water and freezing. (For more fun with...
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Starting this July, Rickhouse in San Francisco will offer a summer drink menu, because apparently the fifty cocktails on the regular menu are all seasonally inappropriate. (I kid!) The regular menu isn't online, so those of you reading from out of town an get a glimpse of how it looks with its tiki bar-reminiscent descriptors (and low prices). Note: Root beer and absinthe! Again! Rickhouse Summer Cocktail Menu Ginger’s Trois $8 It’s as light and effervescent as the twinkle of a clouds silver lining. Snappy and sparkling, this bubbly cocktail provides every minty answer you desire, and all without the...
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Erick Castro, bartender and general manager of Rickhouse in San Francisco (up for three awards at Tales of the Cocktail this year) has revealed that he'll be leaving the bar at the end of July. He'll now be the West Coast Brand Ambassador for Plymouth and Beefeater gins. This is another bittersweet announcement in the San Francisco cocktail community, right on the heels of Neyah White leaving NOPA to become a brand ambassador for Yamazaki whiskies at the end of June and Jackie Patterson leaving Heaven's Dog (soon) to become a brand ambassador for Solerno and Lillet. So congratulations to...
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A friend asks: A buddy of mine helped another of mine get a job and now he'd like to buy her a nice bottle of somethin' somethin' as a thank you. She's alllllllll about rum as long as it's not spiced and she *probably* has a bottle of Jamaican something or other at home as they go to Jamaica every year. I know that you love the stuff so i was wondering if you have any good recommendations? Why as a matter of fact I do! This is what I'm feeling at the moment. (It could change in a minute.)...
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